Major US quantum opportunity lies in supply chain, PsiQuantum co-founder says

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The US' quantum opportunity isn't just in developing the first large-scale, usable quantum computer, but in building the supply chain behind it, according to Pete Shadbolt, co-founder and chief scientific officer at quantum company PsiQuantum.

"That's a thrilling opportunity that comes with the novelty of the technology, but also I think it's really important to treat it seriously," Shadbolt said at Semafor World Economy on Monday.

Quantum computing has often been compared to AI. Both are moonshot technologies that scientists have been working on for decades. AI has for a large part been realized, and experts anticipate sophisticated quantum computers are a few years away.

However, components that power AI -- from the China-based rare earth metals that go into chips to the manufacturing of those chips in Taiwan -- rely on a global supply chain that the US is working to bring onshore. Meanwhile, quantum's big "ChatGPT moment" is still years out, and the supply chain is still being built.

PsiQuantum is manufacturing chips at a GlobalFoundries facility in New York, manufacturing refrigeration tech called cryostats in Minnesota, and opening a computing facility in Chicago, he said.